


The Paranormal Investigations Unit

by TheTorturedHero



Category: Fake AH crew - Fandom, Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Adult Content, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Police, Cop Drama, GTA Character - Alternate Universe, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lots of Whump, M/M, Mutant Powers, Paranormal, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Some Humor, Sort of thing, Supernatural Elements, Suspense, Torture, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-05-07 08:53:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14667627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTorturedHero/pseuds/TheTorturedHero
Summary: In Los Santos, one police department has an ace up it's sleeve.There are some people in the world who are gifted, people with Abilites.The Paranormal Investigations Unit are the ones who come in when the crime cannot be solved by human hand alone."So I can move things with my mind, that's good for what? Starting fights, and shutting doors, and now and again making a cup of coffee with my eyes closed.""Show off."Jeremy chuckled and Ryan took it as a small victory."You have the real power, Jeremy, not me. Don't ever feel bad about what you can do."





	1. The Swimmer

**Author's Note:**

> As always, work is Un-beta'd so if there are any mistakes, please don't hesitate to let me know. I promise I'll be hella greatful!

The sound of sirens could be heard from inside the community building, the red and blue flashing lights could be seen through the small windows of the leisure center. Two sets of footsteps, equally paced, echoed down the corridor towards the crime scene.  

One dressed in all black, only colour contrast on their body a full-length charcoal grey coat that swished at their shins lightly as they walked. The other in a more casual set, still suited but instead of a jacket they wore an unbuttoned waistcoat over a white shirt, leather jacket with fabric hood over it all.  

The officer guarding the doorway held a hand out as the two reached for I.D.  

'Ryan Haywood' 'Jeremy Dooley' 

He read them quickly before giving them a small nod lifting the tape behind him and allowing them to duck into the room, another officer came from the right, stopping the two as he handed the tallest of the pair a file. The blonde scanned it over before handing it to his partner and taking a few steps ahead, casually scanning the room.  

The other flicked through the file a little more meticulously than his partner, occasionally looking up from the page to look around the room. The officer was given a nod of thanks before they carried on walking, passing through some double doors into an open swimming area. They were greeted by another officer, his uniform closer to the causal side of things, basic blue dress shirt over dark jeans, as they came to a halt.  

"Gentlemen," the officer greeted before walking them around the pool.  

"What have you got for us this time, Gavin?" The tallest asked as the other stopped to observe something. 

"White female, around twenty years of age, found floating face down in the pool by the janitor. He said he tried to give her CPR when he pulled her from the pool but she didn't respond, he called for an ambulance and the police." Gavin paused shaking his head in an almost sympathetic gesture towards the body under a sheet, laying by the poolside. "Then we called you."  

"Great," he grumbled back. "They do the usual sweep?" 

Gavin nodded. "I'm just finishing up, you and Jeremy can touch but try not to move anything if you can just in case, they want this clean for a few more hours until the basic labs are back." 

 Ryan nodded before patting Gavin on the shoulder and walking back to the other, who was crouched poolside looking into the water. 

"See anything?"  

Jeremy shook his head before standing, Ryan gave him a look but he waved it off before pointed to a man across the room in grey overalls sat on a bench, there was an officer talking to him but he seemed a little spaced, his attention mostly taken by the pool. 

"That the janitor?" Jeremy asked and Gavin nodded. 

"Yeah, I'll pass on you want a word."  

"Thanks"  

With that Gavin walked away towards the man. Jeremy walked along the side of the pool slowly and crouched again by the edge, Ryan sighed and looked back toward the door they had just walked through.  

"Long corridor," he commented, casually observing the path they took into the room. "Big building. Doubt anyone would have heard anything, if she did cry for help no-one would have noticed."  

Jeremy removed one of his gloves, handing it up to Ryan who took it without question, and ran his fingers through the water. Jeremy closed his eyes as the ripples in the water brushed through his fingers, Ryan watched as he swayed slightly and moved forward to steady him. Jeremy let out a sharp breath and Ryan caught his weight as he began to fall forward. Jeremy held Ryan's arms as he helped him up, gladly accepted the assistance as he was brought back to his feet. 

"You okay?" Ryan asked as he watched the other compose himself. 

"Yeah," Jeremy nodded and offered him a small smile. "There's something in the water, over there. I need it." 

Ryan looked him over before patting him on the back gently and began walking to the other end of the pool where Jeremy directed. He saw something glint by the edge, something snagged by one of the cover ties. 

He held his hand over where it hung in the water, it rattled lightly before it began to rise to the surface, untangling from the hook it had caught on. The small silver chain rose out of the water and into his palm. Jeremy walked over and stood next to him, Ryan inspected the chain slightly before holding it out for the other to take.  

Jeremy took it timidly, laying it in the palm of his hand. A shock ran through him, punching the wind out of him and he doubled over with a choked gasp, fist clenching around the chain.    

_His head pounded and suddenly he was looking down at feet he knew weren't his own. He could see as he was taken to the poolside, water in-front_ _they_ _leaned_ _forward_ _, he looked at his reflection and saw a girl with long brown hair._  

_She jumped into the water and Jeremy saw clearly through her eyes as she swam forward, he felt the water move around her as_ _though_ _he were the one in the pool._  

_Something disturbed the water_ _behind him, he felt the ripples rush and push past close by and tried to swim to the surface. He felt a rush of_ _unease before_ _something grabbed his arms. In instinct he tried to scream, water filled his lungs, burning and choking him as he fought._  

_Something was pulled tight around his throat and he felt fingernails clawing at whatever it was_ _that began strangling him._ _He tried to struggle, legs kicking out behind him but the more he fought, the more water he inhaled._  

_The small silver chain broke in his hands, falling between his fingers, an idle_ _swipe_ _knocked it out of his reach and he watched is_ _disappear_ _to his left. He could see a dark shoulder next to him as he_ _tried_ _to keep fighting, the water making it almost impossible to draw back a solid hit._  

_His body was screaming, chest aching and lungs burning as he thrashed and flailed,_ _trying_ _to escape. The ripples in the water worsened, his vision blurred and his arms became heavy._  

Jeremy lurched forward, choking up water and collapsed to his knees in a desperate coughing fit, Ryan dropped next to him and rubbed circles on his shoulder as he tried to catch his breath. Heads turned in the room, officers began to approach them quickly with concern, but Ryan held a hand up and everyone paused. 

"R-Ryan." Jeremy choked out, hand coming up to hold his throat.  

"It's okay," his reply was calm as he brought his attention back to him. "You're back, you're fine."  

"I was her, the girl," Jeremy panted out shaking his head. "She was swimming, someone strangled her from behind."  

Jeremy coughed, rough and wet. Ryan moved closer to his side, Jeremy grabbed at his arm and he held it tightly. Ryan watched as he panted, trying to regain his composure. 

"It's okay, just breathe."  

Jeremy shook his head, holding his throat, the shadow of the pressure still sitting against his skin. 

"I felt something around my throat, like wire or rope, it was rough, almost sharp." He coughed again, hand from his neck coming down to rest on his chest.  "I tried to get to the surface but I couldn't... and I kept swallowing water... my throat was burning with the chlorine and my eyes were stinging so bad..."  

His voice broke as he finished, eyes squeezing shut as he tried to block out the feeling. Ryan looked up at Gavin and gave him a pointed look.  

"You writing this down?"  

Gavin held up a tape recorder with a sympathetic smile, Ryan nodded before turning his attention back to Jeremy he finally began to calm.  

"She was so sacred, Ryan," Jeremy shook his head before sniffing and wiping at his eyes. "She didn't deserve to die."  

Ryan sighed and nodded lightly. 

"I know, it's okay, we'll find who did this."  

Jeremy nodded back before looking up around the room, everyone suddenly had something to do and began quickly looking and walking away from them. He sighed and looked back towards the water. Nobody deserved to die like that. 

 

 

The office kitchen was quiet, people moved around them, occasionally passing by absently waving to them as they carried on with their work. Ryan leant over the counter handing Jeremy a cup of coffee, who took it with a gracious nod, holding it with both hands in a small comfort.  

"You feeling better?" Ryan tested, already knowing the answer but asking anyway as Jeremy took a sip. 

"Not really," Jeremy mumbled against the rim of the cup. "I mean I can breathe again if that's what you're looking for."  

He took another drink before placing it down on the table, playing with the handle absently. Ryan nodded with a sigh. 

"Is there anything I can do?" He offered with a small smile and Jeremy huffed at him. 

"Swap powers with me?"  

Ryan huffed out a small laugh with a shake of his head. "If I could I would. I'm sorry."  

"I know, I'm just so sick of feeling death. It sucks." Jeremy gave back, defeat evident in his voice. "I hate this feeling of being so helpless, you can help people, Ryan. I can't, all I can do is just watch people die... feel them die."   

Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

"Jeremy, what you do helps so many people. I can't accomplish anything like that." He moved around the counter and took seat on the stool next to him.  "You can't help those who die, but you can help their families get justice and move on. You give people closure and I sure as shit can't do that, and I know for sure that none of the other idiots at the station can either."  

Jeremy smiled weakly into his cup and Ryan sighed waving his hand absently.  

"So I can move things with my mind, that's good for what? Starting fights, and shutting doors, and now and again making a cup of coffee with my eyes closed."  

"Show off."  

Jeremy chuckled and Ryan took it as a small victory.  

"You have the real power, Jeremy, not me. Don't ever feel bad about what you can do."  

Jeremy scoffed and shoved at the coffee mug. "I'll try and remember that next time I'm hacking up pool water in front of half the station."  

Ryan gave him a smile and moved to stand again when his phone began chirping away in his pocket, Jeremy shook his head and took a sip of his drink, watching as he answered. Ryan hung up after a few short words, placing it back in his pocket quickly with a sigh and shooting Jeremy an irritated look. 

"Geoff has a "surprise" for us."   

  

 

"You boys are going to love me."  

"I highly fuckin doubt that." Jeremy shot back as they walked into the morgue. 

Jeremy hated being here. Stupid death power.   

He always felt like his emotions were battling against each other, constant white noise in his head, it made him feel uneasy and out of control.  

Ryan snorted and shook his head as Geoff hoarded them around a table with their recent corpse adorned atop, thankfully fully stitched up. Geoff was a simple guy, and cheerful; he worked the morgue five days a week, weekends if it was someone special. He had the strangest positive outlook on life for someone who handled murdered dead people for most of his day job.  

"Guess what I found on our dead girl." Geoff exclaimed and Ryan wrinkled his nose at him. 

"You say that with such glee." 

Geoff shrugged casually and walked behind the table, facing the boys. He pulled back the sheet completely, all the way to her toes. Jeremy gagged and covered his mouth stepping back and away from the table, Ryan frowned looked away with a heavy sigh.  

"Don't be such wimps you two, you need to see this." 

"Really think I don't, Geoff." Jeremy chided back from behind his hand. 

Geoff smiled at him and Ryan looked back with a wince. Just above her hip bone there was a small but deep branding, the flesh unhealed and sticky with blood as if were done after she was murdered. Ryan looked away and waved a hand at the body.  

"I get it." 

"Oh come on now, this is nothing." Geoff smiled but as he reached for the sheet, it was already halfway up and over her body. Geoff huffed as he watched the girl be covered once more and shook his head at Ryan. 

"I wish I had your powers." He commented idly and Jeremy scoffed pulling his hand down.  

"You can have mine"  

Geoff held up his hands in a graceful decline before walking over to the wall where X-rays were hung against a board. Ryan walked next to him and looked them over as Geoff began running through the scans, Jeremy took a step to join them but felt a sudden pressure in his chest causing him to wince, he leant on the table bringing a hand up to his stomach as he took a deep breath.   

"I did these just in case," Geoff commented as he pointed through everything. "Check for anything different; unusual, but it's just like before."  

"Clean killing." Ryan sighed and glanced back at Jeremy, a frown crossed his face as he saw Jeremy's eyes were shut tight with his hand on his chest.  

"Jeremy?" Ryan walked to him and held his arm out, holding the others shoulder. Jeremy held onto his arm and shook his head.  

"I don't know what's happening." He whimpered and took a deep breath. 

"What do you feel?" Ryan pressed and Jeremy opened his eyes to give him a mystified look. 

"Pressure. In my chest." His hand pressed against his heart and he closed his eyes again. "Making me dizzy."  

"Does it hurt?" Ryan questioned, concern lacing his tone as he looked him over. Jeremy shook his head, taking another deep breath. "Okay, let's just get you out of here." 

Jeremy nodded as Ryan turned him around, hands pressed firmly against his shoulders and walked him to the door. Ryan nodded back at Geoff and he gave him a wave in return as the two walked away.  

Jeremy took a few deep breaths as they reached the corridor, coughing a little as they walked and Ryan moved and sat him down on a bench in the hall. Ryan knelt in front of him as Jeremy braced himself, hands on either side on him as he hunched over. 

"You want a drink or something?" He offered and Jeremy shook his head lightly. 

"No, I just need to be away from there I think."  

Ryan watched him before shaking his head. "You don't look well, I can get you something?"  

"No, I'm fine." Jeremy laughed lightly giving Ryan a small smile. "It happens, death breaks me sometimes." 

Ryan huffed and moved to sit next to him, Jeremy sighed and shook his head.  

"I can hear their voices sometimes, in my head. I can feel them, like they're trying to get through me, and sometimes it hurts."  

He offered with a small shrug but Ryan didn't look convinced. 

"We don't have to go in there anymore, I'll get Geoff to email me whatever he finds or something like that."  

Jeremy shook his head with a smile. 

"I'm fine"  

"You sure?" Ryan challenged, tone skeptical as he looked Jeremy over. 

Jeremy nodded and stood, running a hand through his hair and shooting Ryan a quick smile. 

"Let's go home."   


	2. The Backstory

When they got back to their apartment Jeremy went straight to bed, it was only eight at night but on days like this one, he needed the rest. Ryan wasn't convinced he was totally okay but Jeremy insisted he was just a little worn down from what he felt, nothing to worry about.

Ryan sat on the couch and lazily flicked through the channels on the TV, nothing good was ever on at this time anyway but he always tried.

He sighed and looked towards Jeremy's room, he worried about him sometimes. Jeremy wasn't only psychic but he could channel spiritual elements too, that was why when he came out of his visions he would sometimes brought back some of the haze, like today and the pool water.

Ryan sometimes worried that one day, he could actually die in one of them. They could be so real, Jeremy felt everything when they hit; their mood, their surroundings, what killed them, even so much to their thoughts up to their last breath.

He'd been hurt by his visions in the past many times, the most traumatic could bring back wounds with him. The more distressing the death; the more likely it was to follow him back. He'd come out of visions with cuts and bruises before.

Ryan met Jeremy when he was young, well younger than he was now anyway. He had only just turned nineteen, a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time, or maybe as it goes, the right place.

There was a shooting. Local bar not too far from Ryan's home town. He wasn't even on duty when they called, he was visiting family when he was desperately asked to help the local station when the shooter took over the club.

He doesn't know what happened exactly. Guy walks into a bar and decides it's everybody's time.

The swat team had already burst in when he got there, rushing what was left of the patrons out. He marched right on in, bullet proof vest on and nothing else. He knew he could stop a bullet before it hit him, easy.

He found Jeremy behind the bar, the kid was hunched over, white knuckle grip on the shelves, shaking and gasping for breath. He'd rushed over to him, first instinct of course, and Jeremy had grabbed onto him like he was a life line.

He thought it was just panic, fear. Until he tried to get him to leave.

 

"No!" The teen cried, clutching at his jacket sleeve and holding him down.

"Relax kid," Ryan offered trying to calm him. "He's gone, the shooter's gone, we're clearing people out."

He tried to move him again but he was pulled back down again, Ryan knew he could move them both out the bar with little thought so he didn't feel threatened by the kid trying to throw his weight around.

"Jeremy. I'm not a kid, my name's Jeremy." Jeremy, as he was called, shook his head and gave Ryan a desperate look. "I have to stay, you won't understand but I have to stay here."

"Look, I'm not here to argue alright, just-"

"No!" Jeremy cut him off and shook him, hard. Ryan had to brace himself by grabbing the arms that shook him to keep from falling on his ass. "I can see things. I can see him, his face, I can see who he is I just..."

He trailed off as his eyes squeezed shut, curling further in on himself. Ryan looked him over but couldn't find any injury.

"Jeremy?" Ryan questioned, tone placid as he watched him shake. "Tell me what's wrong?"

Jeremy shook his head quickly. "You wouldn't believe me. No one believes me." He whispered.

Ryan made a stubborn sound. "Try me."

Jeremy let out a heavy sigh and shook his head again. Ryan responded by shaking him to draw his attention, Jeremy's head flew up and Ryan held up his hand. The glass around them shook and clinked against the floor, before slowly rising up and over their heads.

Jeremy watched stunned as the shards hovered over them and across the bar, before Ryan dropped his hand and they fell with it, hitting the ground with a soft but sharp sound.

"Try me." Ryan repeated and Jeremy stared at him wide eyed.

"I-I need a bullet casing. One that... that..." Jeremy swallowed thickly and Ryan moved to stand before pointing at him.

"If I do this for you, you leave with me, alright?" Jeremy nodded and Ryan moved to grab a casing, he bent down to grab one when Jeremy called to him.

"Not that one." Ryan looked over at him and Jeremy shook his head, pointing past him. "It's behind you."

Ryan gave him a skeptical look before moving back and towards the direction he was being told to follow. Jeremy nodded as he came closer and he looked to see a case by the table stand.

"Bring it to me." Jeremy demanded and Ryan contemplated just throwing him out the building, he could from the distance without even touching him, but there was something in his eyes, the way he pleaded to stay.

Ryan knelt in front of him and Jeremy visibly flinched as he uncurled his palm to reveal the empty shell in his hand. Jeremy took a deep breath, steadying himself.

"I-I don't want you to be afraid." Jeremy whimpered and Ryan watched him carefully, his eyes never left the casing in his hand. "I can't do this any other way."

Ryan was about to ask what he meant, what he was going to do, when Jeremy threw his hand over his, covering the bullet shell. Jeremy lurched forward with an agonized scream, throwing his free hand out and curling it into Ryan's jacket. Ryan instantly grabbed him back, hand flying to his shoulder to keep him up as he doubled over further.

His entire body shook as he cried out again, his fist white knuckle gripped tightly in Ryan's jacket. Ryan felt the shell press into his palm and quickly ripped it back from Jeremy's grasp and threw it across the room. Jeremy gasped and cried, face screwed up in agony as he hunched over in front of Ryan.

"What the hell was that?" Ryan cried, steadying him, firm hands on his shoulders and pushing him up to see his face. Jeremy shook his head as he gasped for breath, brows furrowed as he tried to compose himself.

"I told you, I can't do it any other way." He sobbed and Ryan let out a breath.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" He exclaimed and Jeremy laughed wetly shaking his head, the sound filled with grief. Ryan on instinct reached forward and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, forcing him to look him in the eye.

"I can see what they see, when people die." Jeremy explained simply with a sniff and Ryan stared back at him. "I can touch things, and I can see their death."

Ryan took a moment to process. Jeremy seemed to be calming down, his breathing still erratic and stuttered but he was taking full breaths at least. He watched as Jeremy sighed and shook his head, sniffing once more and moving to wipe his face on his sleeve.

"No one ever believes me. I've tried talking to the police, I want to help, you know?" He sounded so defeated and helpless between shaking breaths. "I can see murderers faces and they won't believe me, and I can't tell them what I know because they'll think I'm the one who did it, and I can't prove that I'm not."

Ryan just sat staring at him as Jeremy coughed and let out a broken laugh.

"You saw me do it. God, you watched me do it and you still can't believe it." Jeremy wiped at his eyes again and shook his head glumly. "I thought you'd be different, because you have a power too but you're not, you're just like the rest."

Ryan looked him over once more because slowly climbing to his feet and standing above the other, Jeremy stared up at him as he held down his hand. Jeremy took it and Ryan helped him up before turning and putting his arm around his shoulders.

They walked to the door and Jeremy held his tongue, he wanted to ask what was going to happen, what he was going to tell the others. Before he had chance, Ryan led him to an unmarked cop car and opened the passenger side door. Jeremy tensed and took a step back.

"You're arresting me?" He asked quietly, sadness seeping into his voice as he took in what was happening.

"I'm taking you to the station, where I'm going to get you some coffee, and then you and I are going to go through security footage around the area until you see our guy."

Jeremy shook his head confused.

"Our guy?"

"Yeah, you wanted to help right?" Ryan watched as Jeremy nodded at him stunned. "Good, now get in the car, you're wasting time."

 

Jeremy had told him everything that day, or at least everything he could. The kid had passed out around four hours later, head on the table, before Ryan had got around to asking how it had all started. He'd looked him up, using all systems he could throw Jeremy's prints into and found that he had been living rough.

"Car accident." Jeremy explained with a shrug when he'd woken up. "Moved here to live with a friend but he kind of bailed on me, so here I am, psychic nomad."

Ryan decided that he wasn't going to let that stand. So, he took him home.

Jeremy slept on his parents' couch for the weekend until it was time to go home, Ryan had made sure to be clear on his offer.

"You can stay with me. We'll get you a desk job at the station, you can do your training and work your way up. Sound good?"

Jeremy loved the city. It was bright and loud and busy. Ryan hated the city.

Ryan managed to get him a simple job at first, receptionist, basic work. Every now and again Jeremy would ask him about new cases, ones he thought he could help on.

"Just sneak me in-"

"That's not how it works-" protests fell on deaf ears.

"I can just touch the thing and be gone before anyone even knows!" Jeremy begged. "Please? Look, I know. I am paying my dues, and I know I'll get there eventually, but right now people are dying and I can help, Ryan."

"…Fine."

"Thank you-"

"But. I go in with you, and this is the only time we do this until you're on the right level, agree?"

It wasn't the only time, but it worked, Jeremy's visions helped and solved over thirty cases in four years. Slowly but surely, Jeremy worked his way through the chain, building a reputation and earning his ranks, he helped Ryan with every case he could and began offering to help others when he knew he could help.

It didn't take long for the captain to push Jeremy through the ranks, Ryan too of course, until she decided that it wasn't enough. They could do more and they needed their own branch to do it, keep their time measured to what they could do best.

And so, she created a whole new department.

Ryan and Jeremy became 'The Paranormal Investigations Unit', together they could and would be called when a crime or case couldn't be solved using human methods.

Jeremy owed Ryan his life and he told him many times, Ryan simply settled for him paying his rent on time.

It had been almost six years since they had met, since Ryan went from homicide to Paranormal agent. They made a good team and helped a lot of people. Jack, the stations captain, kept a look out for new recruits who showed potential in their new field, their team had grown from the two of them to twenty-five in just under three years.

There was Geoff; The man who worked the morgue with an unholy amount of cheer, he possessed the power of teleportation. It was only basic, he could move objects in his sight and he himself move from room to room. His power had limits; he had to see what he was moving and where he was going, or at least know a basic layout of the area he was moving to. He wasn't a field man, didn't like being out on the front lines, so he stuck to the indoor work. Surprisingly bad a golf too.

There was Gavin; He had a basic level of telepathy and empathic ability. He could read minds and source people's emotions. Made him a good officer to be the first on the field, best with witnesses. But he liked working with cameras, he liked being the one to recreate the scene and so, they'd send him in first to gather what he needed and he'd help them if any recreation was wanted after.

There was Michael; A firearms expert, surprisingly young for someone in his line of work but he enjoyed what he did with the upmost enthusiasm. He worked best with Gavin, helping recreate shootings, finding weapons. His ability he was still figuring out; Pyrokinesis, or as he described it, the ability to blow shit up.

Then there were Trevor and Alfredo; Two young men who shared the same ability; Invisibility. Trevor had come on board first, he'd started as an intern of sorts, helping with paper work, developing and sorting Gavin's' photos, ordering Michales supplies.

Alfredo came in as a witness, Jack had heard complaints at the department that a guy who had seen a whole robbery couldn't explain how he wasn't seen on any CCTV footage. He'd almost ended up in a cell before Trevor had absently joked that he might have been invisible.

Trevor came down with Jack and they had talked to him for a while, Alfredo panickily tried to explain how he knew what he did, and how he wasn't the one who did it. Trevor decided that the best way to find out the truth was to just go for it, and so he did.

Middle of the interview Trevor simply vanished into thin air. Alfredo shot from his seat, overjoyed and exclaimed 'You too!?' at nothing.

And that was the end of it. The two became practically inseparable and after that Trevor took him under his wing, showed him the ropes and they became the behind the scenes personnel.

The department knew about them all, the entire office had to be brought in on their abilities as many of them would be working cases and it would be hard to explain in the field when something supernatural happened.

Their team was tight knit, everyone knew each other at least by name, and they made sure to clear an area of any unknowing other officers if any of their team were called in, much like today.

The city wasn't really ready to know that their leading police force were led by those with powers, the world was kind to those with abilities but some still held a grudge against those who were special, crime and especially death of those they loved most could unearth those grudges and it was best to leave them in the dark when it came to their methods.

Ryan remembered what it was like to be looked at like he was trouble. His power could scare others and he was young, much like Jeremy, when he'd discovered his ability. Discovered wasn't really the word, more or less better with 'first gained the power', but it always seemed so egotistical to deem himself better than most because of it.

Most powers trigger with anger and his was no different. Sudden emotional charge they called it, when your mind focuses so heavily on an emotion it creates a channel of power and that is how many abilities are discovered.

Michael had a great story of how he first came in to his power; his mother still didn't allow him to play video games, even at twenty-seven.

Ryan had told Jeremy about the first time he'd used his powers and was laughed at, Jeremy claimed his story told like Matilda and he wasn't wrong.

His parents weren't bad people, they were kind and treat him well, they were just busy. They didn't have much time for him, career focused he called it, and with him being the youngest and his sister going to school, they didn't seem to put any effort into finding him somewhere for him to go while they worked.

He was left home alone most days of the week, and while he isn't sure at what age he figured out he would use his power of will to move things, he knew it was young. By the age of six he could cook, clean and do most things without having to make contact. Of course, back then his power was mostly used to play with toys, and when he was sent to school it was harbored away because he knew that is wasn't going to be something he could flaunt freely.

It wasn't until his teens that he began to focus them. Puberty had been a rough ride, learning quickly that negative bursts of emotion made him lose control wasn't fun. He'd never hurt anyone, he made sure of that, but he'd destroyed a few clean rooms in his teens.

The worse had been when his father died. He was in his twenties, working his way through law school, still trying to figure out who he wanted to be.

He'd been in class when they got the call, the professor being called into the corridor by another and then returning with a look of sympathy he'd never forget. He'd been called out of class and told the news.

Heart attack. Natural causes for a man who'd worked pretty much seven days a week for most of his life.

Ryan remembered the panic attack that had hit him. The loss of control snuck up on him and he remembered the calming voice of the professor trying to help as he'd collapsed in the hallway. He remembered the rattling of lockers and doors as he'd tried to control his breakdown, he knows nothing that was said to him worked.

It's all a little fuzzy from then on, he remembers the shattering of glass, panicked screams and the sound of rushed feet as students ran around him. The fire alarm being pulled and watching with blurred vision as he class mates ran away from him in horror, and then everything went black.

He'd woken up in his dorm, a professor by his side, sitting on his roommate's bed.

 

"You managed to destroy every window pane within a mile radius, bent thirteen locker doors and smashed three coffee pots." He listed, a note of amusement in his voice. "Impressive, and slightly terrifying."

"I didn't mean to." He replied guiltily, voice small.

"I know." The man reassured him. "But we have to do some damage control. Students are scared; most think it was an earthquake, because we told them so, but some know it was you."

Ryan sat up and brushed his hair from his face, pulling his knees up as he sat with his back to the wall.

"I'll leave tomorrow, if that's okay?" He replied defeatedly into his knees. "I just need time to pack my stuff and I'll ask if someone can return my books."

The professor smiled at him gently and shook his head.

"I'm not here to scold you, Ryan." He offered and Ryan watched him with apprehension as he continued. "We have to move you yes, but you get to stay, we only wish we had known about you sooner."

"I'm not being kicked off campus?"

"No, well yes, but it's more of a relocation. We want to help you with your ability."

Ryan stilled and his heckles raised. "I won't be studied like an animal."

The man laughed and got to his feet, Ryan pressed himself back against the wall in defense as he looked up at him as he shook his head.

"I don't want to cage you. We want to offer you a placement."

"Placement?"

"You're not the only one with a power Ryan, we help train students like you daily to use their ability in the field, in the best field for them. For everyone."

Ryan sat forward slowly. "If I say yes, and I don't like it. I'm free to go?"

"It's not a detention center, yes of course you can leave if you want. Just like here; you don't like it, you go home."

Ryan thought it over, the man watched him patiently before Ryan stood slowly and nodded. "Okay, I'll come."

The professor smiled and held out his hand for Ryan to shake.

"Good to hear, I'm Burnie. I'll let them know you'll be joining us."

 

The campus was no different to the other, simply around the other side of the building. It was exactly the same in every way, the only difference was the curriculum. He still had his regular classes, the course still needed the basic training to complete, but now he had additional studies linked to his ability, classes taught in a separate building across from the main campus.

Two years later, his strength and control had never been better and he graduated with honors.

A week later, he was offered a placement at a station in the city, run by a redhaired woman called Jack, short for Jacqulyn. She was his age which surprised him, she said everyone was a little taken aback when they found out but it didn't bother her as long as they knew she was boss.

She explained simply that her family were all in law enforcement, parents running the station now from home while she took care of things on the floor. She'd told him that they had powers too, had always wanted to run a station where those with abilities could use what power they had to do good, without fear of judgment. He'd worked there ever since.

Five years later he was head of his department in homicide, running the ground team and helping investigations. It was then he'd taken the trip home and ran into Jeremy.

"Ryan?"

Ryan snapped out of his thoughts at the call and noticed Jeremy padding over to him sleepily rubbing his eyes, Ryan smiled at him as he approached and slumped next to him on the couch. Ryan watched him as he sunk into the cushions and sighed.

"Can't sleep?" He asked and Jeremy shook his head lightly.

"My head hurts from the morgue today."

Ryan looked him over before turning to look back at the kitchen.

"You want a drink or something?" Jeremy nodded tiredly. "What do you want?"

With a wave of his hand, the cupboard door opened and Ryan looked at the choices. Jeremy heard it creak and glanced over the back of the couch.

"We have coffee, chocolate, tea aaaaaaand something herbal I can't read from here." Ryan listed off and Jeremy huffed at him and sunk back into the couch with an amused shake of his head.

"Chocolate," he replied and Ryan nodded at his choice, Jeremy saw him absently wave towards the kitchen. "Oh, and some of those cookie things."

He added and Ryan chuckled. "I think you ate all of those."

Jeremy watched him as he waved his hand and heard the kettle begin to boil, he huffed again and kicked his foot out at the coffee table.

"You have better powers than me." He complained and Ryan nodded, smug smile crossing his face.

"Yeah, I know."

Jeremy snorted and shook his head. "Asshole."

Ryan laughed gave him a smile, Jeremy huffed him off but he could tell he wasn't mad, the small smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth gave him away to easily.

Jeremy laughed as the cup of chocolate clunked down on the coffee table, spilling a little causing Ryan to jump forward in a lame attempt to save it. Jeremy swatted at his hands and reached forward to grab the mug, when it slid away from him.

He sighed and moved to grab it again when the same happened and Jeremy huffed in frustration, hands hitting his thighs as he sat up protest.

"Ryan," he accused and Ryan chuckled to himself as Jeremy tried to reach for it again, only for it to move across the table away from him hands. "Ryan! Cut it out."

He laughed and shook his head defeated, the cup skittered towards him and this time, when he reached for it, he grabbed it easily.

"Thank you." He huffed into the side of the mug, giving Ryan a sideways glare as he drank. He didn't look fazed though, he looked more amused and Jeremy pulled back to glare at him suspiciously.

"What?" He questioned before a pack of cookies fell from the sky, landing on the table with a thump and causing Jeremy to jump a foot in his seat, hand flying up to his chest. "Christ!"

Ryan laughed away next to him and Jeremy placed his cup down upon the coffee table not so gently and moved to grab the packet, swiping it up easily.

"Animal." He huffed tearing into the packet and throwing one at him.

"You're welcome." Ryan laughed.


	3. The Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy has an encounter with something new.

Jeremy was lying on his back on his bed just staring up to the celling, he couldn't sleep, he'd been trying for hours after he and Ryan had called it a night but he just couldn't settle. He sighed defeated and rolled onto his side, every way he laid felt uncomfortable, his were pillows too high or cover too heavy, mattress too soft. 

He glanced out his window and up into the night sky, just looking dot to dot at all the stars. His head still ached a little from earlier that day and his chest still felt a little tight, he'd never had that kind of reaction before. 

He wondered if his powers were growing, he'd always had the ability to see death and the ability to hear the dead had slowly grown over the years, maybe his next trick was to something spiritual. He wasn't able to communicate with the dead though, at least not in the conventional sense. He'd tried in the past, maybe thinking his ability to hear some sprits would help him tune in to the paranormal, but any effort had failed. 

Jeremy knew Ryan worried about him; he'd taken him in, put him on his feet and given him a purpose in the world, and he wanted to show Ryan he could handle it, but the truth was; sometimes he couldn't. Sometimes the visions lingered, the trauma hanging around him for days and left a heavy weight in his chest. 

He sighed to the stars and moved to sit up, he climbed out of bed, brushing the covers to the side and walked from his room. He padded towards the kitchen, the sound of his bare feet against the wood flooring echoing out around the apartment, as he walked to the cupboards. 

He reached up to open the first when he felt the weight in his chest grow again, the way it had in the morgue and steadied himself against the counter with a groan. 

He heard whispers behind him, a garbled almost white noise, and a sudden cold chill ran down his spine causing him to shiver. He pressed his hand to his chest with a wince and tried to take a deep breath. His chest felt tight, as if a weight were baring down on him, the feeling growing as the whispers around him grew louder.  

Panic began to set in as he couldn't catch his breath, the noise filling his head, teaming with the pressure building between his ribs. He gasped and let out a pained noise as the feeling grew, tightening and twisting beneath his ribs, forcing him to his knees. 

"Ryan." He choked out as loud as he could, eyes squeezing shut against the pain, falling into a coughing fit, hand bracing himself against the cold floor as the weight in his chest felt like he was being crushed.  

The noise grew louder and he pressed his forehead to the floor, it was all around him, ringing in his ears, filling his head as the pressure in his chest remained choking him. 

"Jesus!"  

He heard Ryan shout above the noise from across the room and lifted his head from the floor, he watched as he ran over, dropping by his side. Jeremy clutched at his arm as Ryan looked him over frantically. 

"Jeremy, talk to me." He demanded, worry in his voice heavy as Jeremy gasped in pain. 

"Hurts... Pressure, right here." Jeremy gasped out tapping lightly against his chest and Ryan put a hand over his. "There's a noise...It's in my head... Voices." 

Ryan took a hold of his hand as Jeremy shook, panic and fear overwhelming him as he groaned and curled into himself. 

"Block them out," Ryan instructed, squeezing his hand once. "It's your body, you have control." 

Jeremy shook his head quickly and Ryan squeezed his hand again.  

"You can." 

"I can't." Jeremy grit out and Ryan moved to his side, pulling him up from the floor. Jeremy swayed against him, eyes shut tight as the grip on his hand tightened. 

"I'm telling you, you can." Ryan stated firmly, Jeremy's weight heavy against him before he watched the other nod timidly. 

Jeremy focused on taking deep breaths, the pressure in his chest straining every time he tried. Ryan watched as he seemed to loosen up, body uncurling slowly, weight shifting back from him as he steadied himself. 

Slowly the white noise began to fade, the whispers in his head grew quieter and he could hear the sounds of the birds outside through the window. Jeremy focused on the background noises in the apartment, the sounds of birds, the clock ticking, Ryan's breathing beside him. 

The pain began to fade, the pressure in his chest loosened with every breath he took as the whispers faded away under the sounds of the city in the distance. 

"You okay?" Ryan asked cautiously, eyes scanning his face as Jeremy opened his eyes, blinking slowly at the floor. 

"I think so," voice shaky as he regained his composure. "I think it's gone." 

"It?" Ryan asked questioningly and Jeremy nodded.  

"I... I think something attacked me." 

Ryan stared at him before looking down a realized he still had a hold on his hand, he slowly let go and moved to place his hand over Jeremy's shoulder instead. 

"Tell me what happened." He didn't sound patronizing, he seemed generally curious and Jeremy sighed and rubbed at his chest. 

"It was crushing my chest, like this weight was being dropped against me." He shook his head. "It was like the morgue, but there were voices, whispers, it filled my head." 

"Did the voices say anything?" 

Jeremy shook his head frustrated with a sigh. 

"No, it was just noise, but it was all around me." 

Ryan studied him for a moment before helping him to his feet. 

"Do you think it was an off shoot, like an after affect from the vision you had today? Ripple in time sort of thing?" He asked and Jeremy absently rubbed at his chest with a shake of his head. 

"It was violent, it felt like a threat. The whispers, the voices; it was almost like it was mocking me, watching what was happening to me." Jeremy sighed and brought a hand up to his head. "Sorry, this sounds dumb." 

"Jeremy, I just watched you fight whatever that was, trust me. I'm listening." 

Jeremy gave him a grateful smile and leaned back against the counter. 

"I felt the pressure before the voices, it felt like an audience." 

"You think whatever attacked you did it for show?" 

Jeremy sighed shaking his head defeated. 

"I don't know, but it wasn't a vision. I've never had a vision like that before. It felt forced, like it was trying to hurt me." He looked back towards his room down the hall. "I couldn't sleep, like something was keeping me awake. I've felt awful all night." 

Ryan frowned and turned to face him. 

"Why didn't you say something?" 

"Because I don't need you to baby me okay," Jeremy snapped and Ryan blanched shaking his head confused. Jeremy sighed and waved him off. "Sorry, I just- I'm a grown ass man and sometimes I feel like I rely on you too much." 

Ryan just stared at him, face blank. "You're my friend." Jeremy looked at him as he shrugged absently. "It's what friends do, they look out for each other." 

"Yeah?" Jeremy replied stubbornly. "When was the last time I took care of you?" 

Ryan sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. Jeremy shook his head and waved him off again before pushing away from the counter, he brushed past him and began to walk towards his room in hope he'd be able to get some sleep. 

 

 

Ryan entered the morgue with a look of pure determination and Geoff instantly didn't like it. 

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it, blame Gavin." 

Ryan shook his head at him absently. "Are there any non-con victims, or people who were possibly tortured, in here?"  

Geoff shot him a confused look and shook his head thoughtfully, Ryan sighed heavily, running his hand through his hair. Geoff leaned on the table and gave him a questioning look, Ryan huffed and seemed to take a moment to gather his words. 

"Jeremy was... attacked last night." He sighed and Geoff stood straight. "He thinks a sprit or something tried to hurt him." 

"Oh, well shit. He okay?" 

Ryan nodded with another heavy sigh and waved a hand around the room. 

"Yeah, he's a little defeated but he's fine. He said whatever attacked him, it felt like it came from here, after yesterday when he felt bad. Like something latched onto him and followed him home to finish the job." 

Geoff looked back at him stunned before walking around the table and grabbing a clipboard, he looked it over quickly, flipping the pages idly before he pushed it in Ryan's direction.  

"The only ones in here are the branded murders we've been finding, and a suicide, nothing that would hurt him I don't think."  

Ryan took the board and scanned it over, Geoff watched him read patiently.  

"So, a spirit attacked him?" He asked and Ryan nodded, eyes never leaving the page. 

"That's what he thinks anyway, but it's never happened before so we don't know." 

Geoff shot him a smirk. "We?" 

Ryan frowned and looked up at him, Geoff raised his brows at him and Ryan rolled his eyes in response. 

"I mean 'we' like I've seen his power grow, I know what he can do, alright. I was there when he went through basic training for crying out loud." he pointed the board at Geoff. "So stop implying things, rumors spread fast here and I have enough to worry about." 

Ryan drew his attention back to the list as Geoff help up his hand in surrender. 

"I'm just saying, I know looks and you look at him like you want to buy him dinner." 

"I do not." Ryan scoffed in protest, shooting him a defiant look. 

"You do too!" Geoff countered pointing at him. "You and I both know you have had a crush on that guy since you brought him here." 

"That... is only partially true." Ryan huffed and continued reading, Geoff threw his hands up. 

"Thank you." 

"Look, just let it go alright." Ryan sighed and shook his head, flipping the page in his hand. "I can't be dealing with this playground nonsense when he could get hurt." 

"You're always so protective." Geoff smirked and Ryan stilled, Geoff watched him anxiously play with the bottom of the page in his hand before returning his attention to reading. "Come on Ryan, the kid needs you." 

"Not as much as you think," he grumbled to himself before shaking his head with a frown. "And don't call him a kid, he's a grown ass man and he can take care of himself." 

Geoff gave him a soft smile and leant back against the metal table. 

"That why you're in here then?" Ryan froze again and shot Geoff a glare. "He ask you to do this for him?" 

Ryan narrowed his eyes further, scrunching his nose lightly. "...No." 

Geoff sighed and placed his hands either side of him as he rested back against the table. 

"Alright. What's the deal?" Ryan huffed and pulled the clipboard away from his face quickly. "Come on, tell me." 

"There's nothing to tell." Ryan countered and Geoff scoffed. 

"And I'm the queen of England." 

"No, that's Gavin." 

"You're not wrong there." Geoff chuckled before waving a hand at him. "But seriously, what's wrong with you? Why so defensive all of a sudden?" 

Ryan sighed and shook his head, he paused before gesturing spitefully towards him. 

"Jeremy told me he wants me to back off." Geoff blinked shocked at him and Ryan nodded. "Yeah, he said he relies on me too much and I need to stop babying him." 

Geoff let out a long breath and shook his head. "Wow." 

"Yeah," Ryan responded bringing the board back into view. "So, I really don't want to talk about, thank you." 

The was a pause as Ryan read, Geoff watched him and brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest. Ryan looked up from the board and caught the look the other was trying to stare into him. He tried to ignore him before the hole he was burning into his head became too much and he snapped. 

"What, Geoff?" 

"Nothing. I mean, if my wife told me to back off and told me she needed space, this is the first thing I would do." 

Ryan simply glared at him. 

"That didn't even make sense." 

"But you knew what I meant!" Ryan huffed and Geoff pushed off from the table towards him. "Come on, I'm trying to be supportive here." 

"Well don't," Ryan huffed and began scanning the names again. "I'm giving him space, doesn't mean I can't help him at all." 

Geoff gave him a pat on the shoulder, which Ryan swung at and batted away, before walking to his desk and sitting down.  

"So where is Jeremy today then?" He asked beginning to jot down some notes. 

"Rec Room, I told him to relax and play some video games or something, anything to keep his mind off last night." Ryan sighed defeated at the board, flipping the pages down and pinching the bridge of his nose. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more, man."  

"Yeah, thanks anyway." Ryan threw the board down on the table before putting his head in his hands and groaned.  

"What's up?"  

"Tried, couldn't sleep," Ryan dropped his hands with a sigh and Geoff gave him a sympathetic look. "I was worried." 

Geoff dropped his pen and nodded pointedly at him. 

"Go get some sleep, we both know what happens when you get tired."  

He smiled and Ryan huffed throwing his hands up half-heartedly. 

"It was one time." He contended and Geoff chuckled lightly. 

"Just go rest; go clock out and I'm sure Jack will understand if you, and Jeremy, take the day off." 

"Maybe." Ryan nodded and shot him a thankful smile before looking around the room absently. He read the labels upon the morgue doors absently, it always sat weird with him that there were bodies just lying around in those little things.  

He was about to leave when he paused on one door, the door closest to the exit. Ryan pushed off from the table as he noticed a name, written in handwriting he didn't recognize and pointed at it. He hadn't seen that name on the list, Geoff followed his hand and frowned.  

"What's wrong?"  

"Is that new?"  

He questioned as he moved towards the door, Geoff stood and followed him, reading over his shoulder. Ryan stared at him as he came to stand next to him by the door, Geoff looked the tag over and shook his head quickly. 

'Baker – Mike - Death by lethal injection' 

"I didn't tag this one." He countered hurriedly and Ryan stared at him fiercely. 

"Tell me that's not who I think it is." Ryan barked at him, voice raising quickly.  "Was he there yesterday?" 

Geoff pulled the hatch and quickly slid the table out, Ryan took a heavy step back as Geoff pulled the sheet away to reveal the corpses face. 

"Shit, he could have been. I didn't even know he was fucking dead."  

 

"Oh, come on!" Jeremy exclaimed as Gavin cheered, car speeding past him on the screen and his car spun out on the track. "There's no buncing!" 

"There's always buncing, Jeremy." Michael chuckled next to him and Jeremy shook his head. 

The three were sat on the couch, the game hadn't even been going twenty minutes and an all-out war had broken loose. It had started with a few races, until weapons were enabled and then Gavin had proceeded to blow Jeremy up every chance he got. 

"If you let him win I will fuck you up in real life, Michael." Jeremy threatened and Michael laughed. 

"Oh really," he smirked, car on screen flying through the air. "What are you gonna do psychic?" 

He mocked and Jeremy kicked at him on the couch. "Shut your mouth." 

Gavin screamed as his car hit a jump and spiraled through the air and Michael leaned away from him laughing. "Stop screaming, you moron. Jack's gonna come down here and wonder what the fuck is going on." 

"I doubt she'd care to be honest." Jeremy laughed as he reached the same jump. "Holy Shit." He let out his own high scream before laughing as the car sailed across the screen and Michael waved his hand at the screen rapidly. 

"Where  _are_  you two, I haven't seen half the shit you have." 

Gavin laughed before jumping in his seat. 

"Oh no! Oh no! No!" His car landed with an explosion and Jeremy laughed as his car landed with a bump next to his wreck. "Cock!" 

"That's karma Gavin!" Jeremy laughed as Gavin mashed the buttons to get his car to respawn. "That's what you get for cheating!" 

"I didn't cheat!" Gavin exclaimed as he tried to catch up, Michael gasped next to him and nodded quickly. 

"Oh shit! I think I found you guys." His car landed with a thump and he span out. "Yup! I found the jump, fucked me up, now I'm going backwards." 

Jeremy laughed and cheered as the finishing flag came into view. 

"Yes!" 

"No! I'm so close!" Gavin cried leaning forward in his seat and Michael laughed at him as raced to catch him up. "Come on!" 

"Not today, Gavin!" Jeremy laughed as his car sailed over before throwing his hands up in victory. "Yes!" 

"No!" Gavin's car flew through the flag and he stood, throwing his controller down and walking away. Michael laughed as his car crossed the finish and waved his controller at Gavin. 

"Serves you right." 

"For what?" Gavin landed back on the couch with a heavy thump and began looking around. "Where the hell did my controller go?" 

Jeremy laughed and stood handing his controller to Gavin. "Here, just use mine." 

"Why, where are you going?" Gavin asked as he took it and Jeremy shook his head at him before walking away and down the hall 

"To the bathroom, that a crime?" He called back. 

"Wash your hands!" Michael called after him with a laugh and Jeremy responded with the finger. 

 

Geoff hurried over to the file cabinet, pulling the draw open and flicked through the files, he grabbed one and moved back to the table. Ryan followed him and watched over his shoulder as Geoff scanned through the file, Ryan slammed his hand on the table and Geoff jumped. 

"Where were you!?" He demanded and Geoff shot him a defiant look. 

"I don't work Sundays, you know that. I only work when you need me to, someone else did the filling at the weekend, that shit doesn't go on my reports." 

Ryan huffed and turned away from the table, hands moving absently around him.  

"We did his case a year ago. He killed twenty-nine girls in three months, we handled the case. Jeremy almost died because of what he did to them, his visons left him bleeding, Geoff."  

Geoff looked back at the body on the tray, Ryan shook his head, unsettled and took a step away from the table. 

"If he knew," Ryan started, pointing towards the corpse and the tray he lay on began to shake and rattle under the attention. "If he knew it was Jeremy..." 

Geoff grabbed his wrist and the tray stilled. "Ryan; control. We need to find Jeremy, you freaking out isn't going to help." 

Ryan nodded and Geoff let go of his wrist, the two turned and moved quickly to the door and out from the room. 

 

Jeremy sighed as he looked in the mirror, the bags under his eyes he hoped weren't too much of a giveaway he hadn't been getting much sleep. Their recent case had been hard, the killer hid well and most of his victims were killed from behind.  

He'd tried to see everything, tried to find a way to maybe control the eyes he could see through, but it never worked. He couldn’t manipulate his visions. 

He threw the paper towel in his hands at the bin to the side before heading to the door, his hand grabbed the handle when a static shock struck him. 

"Ow, fuck." He winced pulling his hand away and holding it, he looked his palm over before shaking it out.  

He grabbed the handle again but when he pulled, the door didn't budge. He pulled again looking down to the lock and turning it back and forth. Nothing. The door was stuck shut. 

"What the hell?" He muttered before letting go and stepping back, he looked the door over before giving it one last pull. Still not moving. "Great." 

He sighed and dug his phone from his pocket and typed out a text, hoping Michael and Gavin wouldn't make fun of him all day for getting locked in the bathroom. He was about to hit send when his phone screen began to flicker black. 

He watched the screen flash before going completely black and he hit it against his palm, before trying to turn in on again, but no use. 

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He sighed and looked back towards the door again. He moved to put his now useless phone away before something caught the corner of his eye. 

He took a slow step back and looked at himself in the mirror. 

It was if he had an outline, a dark shadow ran all around him. He lifted his hand and the outline followed the trail. He took a step closer, watching his reflection carefully and squinted at the shadow around him. 

It wasn't pure black, or solid, not fully anyway, it seemed closer to grey and it surrounded him like an aura. It seemed almost fuzzy and he tried to see it more clearly, it became like static, almost moving like smoke before his eyes. 

"What the hell?" 

He took a step back and looked toward the door before looking back to his reflection. His eyes widened when he realized the shadow was gone. 

 

The two reached the rec room quickly and Ryan scanned the room for him, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Gavin's laugh could be heard from down the hall and Ryan followed the sound in a rush. 

Gavin and Michael were playing a game on the console in the room, Gavin jumped around on the couch as Michael cackled next to him. Ryan rushed up behind them and threw his hands on the back cushions, the two jumped and turned to face him. 

"Jeremy, have you seen him?" He demanded, Michael frowned at the panic in his voice and stood, dropping his controller to the seat. 

"He went to the bathroom, he was here like five minutes ago, why?" 

Gavin stood next to him as Ryan pushed off the couch and threw his hands up and into his hair. Geoff watched him carefully as he paced before Gavin grabbed his attention with a questioning wave of his hand. 

"Mike Barker's body was in the morgue and we didn't know." Geoff answered and Michael shrugged. 

"So?" 

"So, Jeremy was attacked last night." 

Michael's eyes widened and he shook his head. "But it can't be him, right?" 

"Yeah," Gavin added shaking his head. "I didn't even know Jeremy could do that." 

"We don't know," Geoff looked back to Ryan who was still pacing, hands scrubbing down his face. "But if Jeremy's powers have grown, it's possible." 

The magazines on the table behind them flew across the room and Gavin jumped.  

"Of course it's him." Ryan called from across the room and the TV behind them rumbled and Geoff moved quickly to intercept his frantic pacing by grabbing his arm. 

"Ryan, stop." 

"I can't!" He exclaimed and the TV set popped loudly, throwing sparks from the back. Gavin and Michael flinched before moving around the couch and stood by Geoff. "This is my fault." 

"Ryan, just breathe." Michael offered and Ryan sighed heavily, head dropping to the floor.  

"Barker, he knew about Jeremy's ability?" Gavin asked and Geoff nodded. 

"He sent him to death row with it, Jeremy's visions are the only reason he was caught, his testimony was the hard evidence that put him away." 

"The visions he had," Ryan added looking up at the two of them. "Of Mike's victims, he almost died. He had cuts, bruises, and even broken bones when he came out of them." 

"Holy shit." Michael ran a hand through his hair. 

"We have to get him out of here," Ryan pulled away from Geoff and began a quick pace down the corridor. "We have to get him and I have to get him somewhere safe." 

Geoff followed after him, Michael and Gavin close behind, and skipped up to match his pace. 

"Ryan, you said it yourself. He was attacked at your home." Ryan huffed and Geoff jumped ahead of him, stopping him in his tracks. "Dude, stop." 

Ryan sighed and looked away from him. 

"If this guy has somehow attached himself to Jeremy, there's not many places he will be safe. Hey, look at me." Geoff snapped and Ryan turned his head back to face him. "The best you can do right now is keep an eye on him, we all will." 

Michael and Gavin nodded behind them in agreement and Geoff pointed at them. "See, we've got his back." 

Ryan took a moment before nodding defeated and running his hand through his hair again. "I'll feel a lot better when I know he's okay." 

"He just went to the bathroom," Michael confirmed gesturing down the hall. "He'll be back in a minute, calm down." 

  

Jeremy held his breath as he slowly looked around the restroom, eyes scanning from the floor to the ceiling. He let out the breath he was holding as he looked around and saw nothing, he ran a hand over his face before shaking his head and taking another step towards the door. 

"I'm going crazy." 

A sudden bang from behind him had him spinning on his heels, throwing his back to the wall, and he looked to see the trash can in the corner had fallen over, paper balls scattered all around the floor. 

Quickly, he reached out his hand and grabbed the door handle, pulling at it again. 

"Come on," he begged, eyes fixed on the other side of the room. "Come on, please." 

The door didn't budge. The room began to fill with cold, the chill he recognized from the night before hitting him as he stared ahead. His breathing, now so painfully visible in the air, began to speed up as the panic set in, breath coming in short pants as dread began to twist in is stomach. 

White noise filled the room, quietly beginning to ring in his ears and building quickly as he pulled at the door desperately. He clamped his hands over his ears for a moment before throwing them back to the handle and pulling frantically. The white noise began to fill with whispers once again and his attention was called to the trash bin as it began to rumble against the wall. 

The blue balls of paper scattered around began to move, slowly rolling across the floor and towards him, and Jeremy watched in horror as the shadow that surrounded him earlier began to fade in at the other side of the room. The silhouette only grew more solid as he stared, until there stood an almost figure by the wall. 

Jeremy tugged at the door handle harder, moving to pull at it with both hands, the door shaking and rattling against the fame but remained unmoving. He looked back at the shadow, and it began taking slow steps towards him. 

"Help!" He cried, suddenly embarrassment the last thing on his mind as he pulled furiously at the door. "Somebody help me!" 

 

All four heads turned towards the noise, Ryan's eyes widened before he shoved Geoff to the side and sprinted down the hall. The three followed quickly as Ryan rounded the corner and practically slammed into the restroom door. 

"Jeremy!" He called, pushing at the door as it rattled. 

"Ryan!" Jeremy cried desperately, door shaking harder as the two forced at it. "I can't open it." 

Jeremy looked back and saw the shadow still advancing towards him, mere feet away. He stepped away from the door quickly and pressed his back to the wall, fear overwhelming him as his hands began to shake. 

Ryan slammed his shoulder into the door but it still refused to move, he looked it up and down, trying to find some source of the jam but couldn't. He could hear Jeremy's heaving panicked gasps from behind the door and slammed his hand against it. "Ryan, there's something in here with me." 

He turned back towards Geoff, who was stood with his eyes closed behind him. "Get in there!" 

"I can't!" Geoff shouted back shaking his head and opening his eyes. "Something's blocking me, it's like the whole room is solid, I can't see." 

Ryan turned towards the door and placed his hands against it, palms flat to the wood. "Jeremy, hold on!" 

He forced at the door with his power, the wood creaking as he strained against the unseen energy holding it shut. The door rattled freely against the frame, vibrating almost violently under his hands as he tried to break it open. 

Jeremy stared as the shadow approached him, stopping inches away from where he cowered against the wall. Its head canted to the side, as if it were surveying him. He watched as it straightened up and he heard a distorted chuckle come through the whispers in the air. 

" _So,_ _you're the one._ " It questioned, voice deep and crackly in the white noise that filled his head. Jeremy gasped as it talked to him. " _Such a shame._ " Jeremy's eyes widened as the shadow raised its arm towards him. " _Such a waste._ " 

The figure's dark and smoky hand shot forward and pain radiated through his chest as it plunged straight through him. Jeremy cried out, screwing his eyes shut, fingers clawing at the wall as the shadow's hand moved within his chest. 

Ryan's head was pounding, his shoulders shaking as he tried and tried against the door. He shook his head quickly, face pinched as he struggled. 

"I can't break through." He groaned, body aching with exertion. "I'm not strong enough." 

He gasped and grit his teeth, hammering in his skull a warning that he was pushing himself too far but he couldn't give up. He could hear Jeremy's pain cries from behind the door and it only fueled his determination. 

The door rattled relentlessly, the frame cracking and shifting under the strain but the door itself never shifted further than it could shake. 

 

"What do you want?" Jeremy grit out through bared teeth as he glared at the shadow before him, breath coming in sharp pained pants as the hand that remained buried between his ribs. He let out another sharp cry as the pain became overwhelming, eyes squeezing shut. He could hear the others just beyond the door, he knew they couldn't get in. 

The noise in his head never ending, the whispers in his ears beginning to drown out the world around him. Encasing him with the monster before him, he could feel his will power draining. 

He was suddenly consumed with regret; all the people he'd never save, all the things he'd never get to see, all the words he'd never get to say. Through the pain and dwindling energy, he managed to find a small shred of will. 

"Ryan," he grit out, between panting breaths. "Ryan, I'm-" 

The hand twisted inside his chest and Jeremy broke into a scream, back arching from the wall as agony burned through him. 

Ryan heard his name, then Jeremy's scream and the fear hit him hard, his stomach dropped as he listened to Jeremy's agonized cries. 

"No!" He cried, eyes squeezing shut as pain radiated through his head. He felt something hot run down over his lips as he pushed through the pain, gritting his teeth, eyes burning under his lids as the pressure behind them increased. 

Geoff threw out his arm, pushing the two behind him further away as the frame began to shatter, cracks shooting up and around the wood, dust falling as the walls shook and the lights swung above them. 

A scream of his own ripped from Ryan's throat and Geoff grabbed the two behind him by the shoulder and threw them down to the floor as the windows around the burst into pieces and showered them with hundreds of small shards. 

The door exploded in a shower of wood and dust and Ryan was practically throw back by the force, Geoff and Michael grabbed his arms as he collapsed on one knee.  

 

The shadow before him released an ungodly screech as they were showered in wood before vanishing into wisps, the figure dissipating into smoke and fading away. Jeremy gasped and threw a hand to his chest as he slid down the wall, panting for breath as the dust began to fall and settle around him. 

Ryan hurled himself forward, scrambling to his feet and pushing into the room. He stumbled through the doorway, holding himself upright barely as he looked in frantically through the clouded air. 

"Jeremy." He slid down the wall, knees buckling from under him and forcing him to the floor in front of the other. 

Jeremy held out his hand, eyes remaining closed as he panted. Ryan scanned him over; shards of the door littered his arm and shoulder, splinters covered the side of his face and a trail of blood ran across his cheek where one thick splinter protruded from his skin. Ryan reached forward and grabbed his arm, holding at the wrist, pulling himself towards him, slinters sticking into his knees as he moved in front of him. 

Jeremy nodded, grasp on his wrist tight. "I'm okay." He choked out and he heard Ryan's heavy sigh. 

Ryan felt his head swim and his arm gave out under him, dropping to the floor next to Jeremy. His head felt as if it were filled with lead, unable to keep himself awake anymore.  

Jeremy felt him fall and opened his eyes to see Ryan collapse before him, he pushed himself forward from the wall to hover over him. A thick trail of blood ran from his nose, blending and sticking through his stubble all the way to his chin. 

"Ryan?" He shook his shoulder gently by received no response. 

He looked back to the doorway and saw Gavin holding his phone to his ear, he hoped that he was calling for help as he turned his attention back to the other crashed on the tiles.  


End file.
